Tuesday, December 29, 2009

I wanted to apologize for my lack of posts. As I mentioned before things have been crazier than normal with Thanksgiving & preparing for and celebrating Christmas. This week we are making the most of Dave's time at home. I'm getting some much needed rest. I didn't realize it but my cold & all of the extra work wore me down. As my friend Megan pointed out to me I'd been burning the candle at both ends. Every time I sit down I fall asleep. Whew! In addition to the rest we are getting some projects done around here too. Nothing major mainly little things that we never get to because of time. Well, until today that is. Last night a water pipe was accidentally punctured & water literally sprayed & gushed across the living room. The rug was soggy with water. Dave had to shut off all our water in order to fix it. It was shut off for 17 hours. Ugh. He had a rough time soldering the pipe because of it's size and location. Thank God he finally got it and we have water once again. There is a huge hole in the living room wall and I doubt we'll get it repaired before company comes. Boo Bear's friend is coming for New Year's and we are having friends' stay over Saturday night on their way down to Mississippi. We're praying no problems come with the rug & padding being soaked. What a day!Tomorrow is Dave's last day of vacation. I'm sad but hope to make the most of it. I can't believe how quickly the week has flown! I hope you are enjoying your Christmas vacation too!

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

I can't keep up! So many things going on at once. I finally finished my sewing projects for Christmas gifts but I am kicking myself because I forgot to take pictures before I mailed them out. Drat! I still have baking & lots of wrapping to do. Only 2 more days to get it all done!I thought I'd take a quick break and post some November pics before Christmas arrives. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and the weeks leading up to it.

WE MADE CRAFTS

He colored his hand print turkey.

Boo made an Indian hat for Elvis.

He played many hours in it.

Boo holding Bugsy's turkey. She helped cut & glue.

Elvis' hand print turkey. He wasn't too into it and did a sloppy job. But at least I got his hand print for memories.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

I am excited to share another frugal find with y'all! Last year I shared about SwagBucks. Ever since last fall I've been saving up mine and reached a total of 485! I've been keeping my eye on the prizes waiting for something that was worth my savings. I finally decided on a $20 Target gift card. I saved up until I was able to purchase two. Then SwagBucks slashed their price on their Amazon.com gift cards. I did the math and found out I could earn an additional $5.00 buying the Amazon cards vs. the Target cards. No brainer! Lol! I chose to buy the Amazon cards instead. Again before purchasing I did my research. I wanted to see what they had for sale and if it was a purchase I really needed, could be used to help our Christmas budget or something the entire family could benefit from. I also wanted something that qualified for the free shipping. I was happy to see that an item Elvis has really wanted was marked down. It is the Clone Wars first season on DVD. I had bought a different DVD for him but it only had 4 episodes (1DVD) where this one is 4 DVD's. (This is the DVD I bought at Walmart for $15.)

I got it at Walmart for $15. This one was $28.49! I applied the 3 gift cards I had already purchased with my SwagBucks and it knocked the price down to half. After I take back the DVD to Walmart I'll have the other $15. Yay! I'm very excited b/c essentially I'll get the 4-disk DVD set for the same price I paid for the 1-disk DVD! Happy dance!

This is the 4-disk DVD I bought for only $15 with my Swagbucks!

I encourage you if you are not already using SwagBucks to start. If you do choose to sign up please do so from my blog. Then I can earn bucks too! Look on the left hand column of my blog for the widget. In the bottom right hand corner is a tab you can click to sign up. It is free with no obligation. All you do is use them as your search engine. They reward you with "bucks" which you can then spend in their store. There are all sorts of things to choose from. I've noticed in the last month or so they are rewarding me with bucks more often than before. Yee ha! I still have over 300 bucks left. I think I will buy a Wii game for the family to play. I have my eye on one and have just enough to buy it. With the Super Savings Shipping it will be FREE! Now how's THAT for a bargain?

If you do decide to sign up & use my widget to do so THANK YOU! I deeply appreciate it. =0)

Monday, December 14, 2009

I picked this up for Princess today. I'm going to stash it away until she is a bit older. Maybe her first birthday? Anyway, Kmart has it on sale marked down to $10.00. Combine it with the coupon from Coupons.com and it's only $5.00! Dave was very impressed by this deal. He was also happy to buy this for Princess. This is his kind of toy! LOL!

Friday, December 11, 2009

Tonight was a fun night. We gave Boo Bear her big Christmas present early. There was just no way to hide it. Lol! Dave drove to Nashville with the boys to pick it up.

Sweet Pea & Dave bring it in the door. It was heavy!

A new-to-her desk!

Boo loves to draw & likes to do her schoolwork in her room sometimes so I hoped she'd like it. I've been scouring Craig's List for weeks looking for a real wood one with lots of drawers.

Her reaction.

Hooray!

The boys were happy for their sister.

In her room at last.

Think she likes it?

Posing with her "new" desk.

It has 2 deep drawers & 5 other drawers. I love the large work surface & that it is solid wood & very sturdy. It needs a bit of touching up but we don't mind that at all. I am thrilled because it is exactly what I have been looking for & wishing for. We got a fantastic deal & I know it's a piece that will last her a long, long time. My childhood desk is similar and it's in fantastic condition. Sweet Pea has it in her room. It's an answer to prayer.

What was super sweet was the way Boo kept hugging Dave & I. She told us she has wanted a real desk but didn't want to ask us because she knew they were expensive. What a sweetheart. It makes all the hours of searching & the driving to Nashville to pick it up worth it to see her beautiful smile & thankfulness.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Right before Thanksgiving my brother Darin came to town. He stopped in on a Saturday much to the delight of Dave, the kids & I. Later that night he came back & took the kids to a bonfire a friend of his was hosting. The kids had a blast. They adore their "Uncle D" and this was the best present he could have given them - his time. Dave, Princess & I stayed home and had a quiet dinner & a Netflix movie. It was nice. We're hoping to see Darin again soon!

Thank you for visiting!

I Have An Angel In Heaven

Quote

"The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing." ~ Edmund Burke

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Search & Win using Swag Bucks!

Click on the above icon (guitar, etc.) and register. Join & earn "Swag Bucks" simply by using them as your search engine. You can then save & spend the "Swag bucks" in their store. Best of all it's totally FREE!

About Me

Hi! Welcome to my blog. I'm a Christian homeschool mom of 6.
I am married to my husband,Dave. We have 6 precious children - Three girls and two boys here with us & one precious baby girl in Heaven with Jesus.
We started our homeschooling journey 11 years ago. How time flies!
I love all sorts of things. Some of my favorites are photography, reading, travel, bargain hunting & tag sale-ing, homemaking & music. My top priorities are my God, my family & my friends.
I love looking for the fun & laughter in life.
I look forward to sharing our little corner of the world with all of you, our friends & family.

School & Fun Blogs

Baby Is Here!

First Snuggles

A Big Day

Favorite Quotes

"Cleaning house with children is like shoveling snow in a blizzard."~ Erma Bombeck

Quote of the Week

A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten & the future worth living for.

There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One is roots; the other, wings.~ Hodding Carter

"Happy is the home with at least one cat" - Italian Proverb

"Avoid fruits & nuts. You are what you eat."Jim Davis

"I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life."~Abraham Lincoln

There is no better way to thank God for your sight than by giving a helping hand to someone in the dark. ~ Helen Keller

~Psalm 139:13-16"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

Friendship isn't about whom you have known the longest... It's about who came, and never left your side.

"When I left Queen's my future seemed to stretch out before me like a straight road. I thought I could see along it for many a milestone. Now there is a bend in it. I don't know what lies around the bend, but I'm going to believe that the best does. It has a fascination of its own, that bend, Marilla."~Anne ShirleyL.M. Montgomery

SUMMERTIME 2012

2012

It was a year full of learning not only educational-wise but life lessons too. We have come to treasure those we love more than ever. Family time is to be savored and memories to be created and viewed as priceless. And our Lord is to be praised, trusted & loved.

We are enjoying our summer. It is full to overflowing with VBS volunteering & attending, Taekwondo, park playdates, gardening, Staycation, camp, birthday parties, visits from loved ones, adventures & day trips, friends, outdoor fun, swimming, summer treats, church & lots of trips to the library. It is wonderful to have some time to renew & relax.

OUR 12th YEAR

It is hard to believe we are in our 12th year of homeschooling. Where does the time go? It seems as if I should feel like an expert by now. But that's not the case. I learn more every year & always look forward to the opportunity to grow.

This year we have made some big changes. At first I was a little cautious wondering how we would handle this. But God has been amazingly gracious. We have made many new & wonderful friends. Even with cutting back our schedule is full to overflowing with fantastic & fun opportunities & experiences.

I look forward to seeing what more God has in store for us this year and sharing it with you, our friends & family.

Summer, Here We Come!

We are winding down our school year. We've finished our co-op studies & had our last classes of the year. AWANA is almost over as well as TKD. The spring soccer season is in full swing. Soon summer will be here. Swimming, park days, field trips, VBS, popsicles, gardening, bike rides & fun with friends are things we are all looking forward to. We will be doing some fun studies over the summer as well. Some we have already begun!As always our days are full to the brim. Many like to comment that Dave & I have our hands full. I agree. Our hands & lives are full of fun, laughter, learning & growing. I wouldn't trade it for the world.

A New School Year

School has begun! It isn't officially fall here yet but our fall activities have started. We are now back in AWANA, Wednesday night groups, Sunday school, soccer, homeschool & 2 family learning co-ops. This week we have added Taekwando to our schedule. Yes, we are busy! On top it all off I am co-leading our large, church homeschool support group. We kicked off the new school year with a picnic. It was an amazing time & lots of fun was had though the weather tried it's best to ruin it. God prevailed!

This year we have a 9th grader (How did we get to high school already?), a 6th grader, a 3rd grader and one in Kindergarten. And don't forget our little toddler!!!! As many like to comment yes, we have our hands full. Our hands are full of blessings, of life and of love. Some days bring more challenges & tough times but through it all we grow stronger & closer.

** Announcement ***

She is here! Safe & sound & BEAUTIFUL! We are all wrapped around her little fingers. Our little princess arrived on April 6 at 8:06a.m. by C-section. She surprised us all by weighing only 7lbs. 9oz. We had expected her to be at least 9lbs. based on the ultrasounds. She is also 19.5 inches long. A little peanut!As you can see from some of her hospital photos she is already learning to accessorize. Lol. The nursery nurses at the hospital stuck a pink bow in her hair. I love it!I will not be publishing her real name on my blog due to safety reasons, (just like I have done for my older children), but if you'd like to know feel free to email me privately and I'd be happy to share.